1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a hook assembly for hanging articles underneath horizontally disposed support surfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hook assembly and kit for outfitting a table or similar other support structure with a selectively acutable hook assembly for stowing handbags and the like under the table or support structure.
2. Description of Prior Art
An indispensable accessory carried by millions of women is a purse. A purse also known as a pocket book or a handbag, can be manufactured from a variety of materials such as leather, straw, canvas, or silk and is designed to efficiently store a woman's personal belongings. Manufactured in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, all intended to appeal to the individual needs of the consumer, purses are used for everything from carrying an extra tube of lipstick to carrying wallets, cellular telephones, important papers and even extra clothing. Regardless of whether one is clutching a fancy beaded evening bag, a practical and stylish midsize pocket book, or a bulky, oversized tote loaded with enough supplies to last a lifetime, for most women, a purse is the one necessity they will never leave home without.
Although pocket books are an indispensable accessory item for most women, they also present a problem when visiting public places such as restaurants or nightclubs. Frequently, in these types of places there is not enough room at a table or bar to place the handbag and the owner must instead place it on the floor, or on top of the table. Taking up a great deal of valuable space, a purse stored in this manner leaves little room for one's feet, or in the case of table top storage, for one's meal. Another way in which women attempt to store their pocket books when dining out is by hanging them over the back of their chairs. Creating an obstacle course for the server and easily bumped and knocked off the chair by other restaurant patrons, storing purses in this fashion can be a nuisance. Most importantly, purses that are hidden under tables or left dangling from the back of chairs can be inadvertently left behind, or in a worse case scenario, can be easily stolen. As most women can attest, a lost or stolen pocket book can be devastating, as valuable personal belongings such as identification keys, licenses, money and other items are often stored in the confines of a women's purse.
Recognizing the need for a product that would facilitate the easy and convenient storage of purses when dining out, a unique product idea was conceived, developed and is disclosed herein. The so-called Purse Hook of the present invention is a downward projecting hook, configured to be easily mounted to the underside of a table and specifically designed to hold pocket books and other handled items, neatly and efficiently. Manufactured of heavy duty brass material, the Purse Hook would be comprised of a rectangular shaped base plate, on the center of which a heavy duty hanging hook is integrally attached.
This hook would be secured to the base plate by way of a simple hinge mechanism, enabling the user to fold the hook flush against the plate when not in use. The Purse Hook would be easily secured to the underside of a table by way of a sticky glue adhesive which encompasses the bottom of the base plate. Alternately, this device could be permanently mounted to the underside of the table by way of simple threaded screws, packaged and sold with the unit. It is contemplated that the Purse Hook could be marketed and sold directly to restaurants, bars and similar establishments for patron use, or this device could be sold in traditional retail establishments that carry handbags and similar accessories, for direct consumer use.
It is noted that the prior art does disclose various types of purse hooks. In this regard, a few of the more pertinent prior art relating to hook assemblies for use in combination with handbags and the like are briefly described hereinafter. U.S. Pat. No. 2,461,071 ('071 Patent), which issued to Mettenleiter, for example, discloses a Handbag Holder or the Like. The '071 Patent teaches a handbag holding device comprising a section of resilient sheet material bent to form a C clamp having a top and bottom portion adapted to receive a projecting table edge between them, said bottom portion having a portion continuous with the end thereof, said continuous portion bent downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the end of the bottom portion and twisted and bent to form a hook member set at right angles to the C clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,633 ('633 Patent), which issued to Rappleye et al., discloses a Grocery Cart Hook. The '633 Patent teaches a hook fastened to a metal plate which is bolted to a side of a grocery cart for retention of a pocketbook of the user of the cart, while shopping. The hook is pivotably mounted so as to swivel in the horizontal plane, when mounted, and is fitted with a torsion spring to fix the hook in a latched position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,455 ('455 Patent), which issued to Weber, discloses a Table Parcel Holder. The '455 Patent teaches a holding device for supporting articles such as handbags, newspapers and packages underneath a table top in a dining area, the device being provided with a pivotal attachment which can be secured to any vertical surface underneath a table or to an under-surface of the table top. The holding device is provided with one or more holding members that are pivotally supported to make the holding members more adaptable for supporting the articles whether the holding device is secured from a vertical or a horizontal table surface. The pivotal attachment may possess a reticulated construction adapted for attachment to an arcuate table surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,579 ('579 Patent), which issued to Huang, discloses a Hidden Type Hook Device. The '579 Patent teaches a hook device includes a panel having a compartment defined therein. A hook includes a first section pivotally connected to the panel and a second hooked section removably received in the compartment. An elastic member is provided for moving the second hooked section of the hook outside the compartment. A push button is provided for releasably retaining the second hooked section of the hook in the compartment.
The prior art thus perceives a need for a hook assembly having a hook member pivotable about an axis of rotation substantially parallel to a hook-supporting attachment surface, which, when in a hook-withdrawn position is concealed or housed within a hook-receiving depression and which, when in a hook-extended position, functions to hang or stow hangable articles therefrom.